Review: Chasing Before

Book two of the Memory Chronicles
By Lenore Appelhans
Available now from Simon & Schuster BFYR
Review copy
Read my review of The Memory of After

Note: I know Lenore Appelhans.

It's been awhile since I read THE MEMORY OF AFTER (published in hardcover as LEVEL 2), so it took several chapters before I readjusted to the mythology of the series and remembered what had happened before.  Felicia and her boyfriend Neil have both moved on to Level 3, the second level of the afterlife.  Unfortunately, the Morati (a group of rogue angels) have moved into Level 3 too. 

There were several things I liked about CHASING BEFORE and several things that frustrated me.  I liked that we got to meet Felicia's best friend Autumn, who had been murdered before the events of THE MEMORY OF AFTER.  Autumn is still working through her afterlife, and though she says she's forgiven Felicia for stealing her boyfriend, there is still an obvious friction between the girls.  They also run into Neil's older brother Nate, which felt like a bit much.  Maybe if he'd died many years after, but it sure feels like a lot of their peer group conveniently died off.  Nate, however, does provide one big revelation: Felicia and Neil didn't die in the car crash like they thought.  They're both missing months of memories.

CHASING BEFORE is full of neat twists like that, and they keep coming though the climax of the book.  The end of CHASING BEFORE can serve as a conclusion, but I'm excited to see Level 4 and find out what's next.  Unfortunately, the exciting twists and things blowing up keep getting bogged down by relationship drama.  The issues between Felicia and Neil are very realistic.  She wants to have sex; he still wants to keep to his ideal of no sex before marriage.  She's prone to jealousy and he's stubborn.  But their fights didn't endear me to Neil, who I've never found that swoonworthy.

Level 3 itself is also a mix of good and bad.  I liked the character development Felicia goes through as she learns to let go of her life on Earth, even as she's desperate to recover her lost memories and the whole of herself.  At the same time, Level 3 is apparently where you learn your afterlife career.  Thankfully we don't have to spend too much time in class.  There are less flashbacks in CHASING BEFORE than in THE MEMORY OF AFTER, if you're one of the readers that was bothered by those.  The past continues to be helpful to discovering what's happening, but it is no longer a focus.

CHASING BEFORE is a breezy read with an intriguing take on the afterlife and a heroine who is both brave and determined.  There is a love triangle, for those who hate that, but it is very much in the background.  It's probably best if you read THE MEMORY OF AFTER first, but I think CHASING BEFORE can stand on its own.

Review: Level 2/The Memory of After

Book One of The Memory Chronicles
By Lenore Appelhans
Available now from Simon & Schuster
Review copy

Disclaimer:  I know Lenore.

Felicia Ward has been dead awhile.  She's not sure how long, but it seems like forever.  Forever, simply rewatching her best memories and trading for the best memories of others.  Uninterrupted in-depth reads of books are particularly valuable.  Then Julian, a figure from her past who belongs to memories she prefers to leave unexamined, shows up.  He brings news of a rebellion against the angels who are keeping people in Level 2 instead of allowing them to confront their lives and move on.

What follows combines action, romance, and conspiracy thrillers.  See, Felicia doesn't trust Julian because of their past.  But she's willing to follow him because he knows where Neil, her boyfriend, is.  Meanwhile evil angels are chasing them down and the rebellion is proving to be fairly morally suspect itself.  I like how Lenore Appelhans handled the love triangle.  Felicia much prefers Neil to Julian, but it's actually Julian who gets the screen time.  The intensity of their relationship is shown before much is revealed about Neil and Felicia.

I also liked the way Appelhans handled religion.  I hate when a book involves angels but tries to pretend that angels have never been involved in any theology ever.  The Morati of LEVEL 2 are certainly different, but Felicia looks for clues about what's going on in her own memories of church and mythology.  And yes, Felicia met Neil through a church youth group.  LEVEL 2 is never preachy, and Felicia certainly isn't a religious character, but church groups are a big thing for many teens but the only other YA books I can think of that involve them are SMALL TOWN SINNERS and THE DARK DIVINE.

I felt the foreshadowing at the beginning of LEVEL 2 was a bit much.  Felicia references her shameful past many times and I kept hoping she would either reveal it or shut up about it.  And, well, her past mistakes seem pretty innocent at first.  Luckily, when Felicia finally faces her demons, they do turn out to be appropriately traumatic.

I'm pretty excited for the next book in The Memory Chronicles.  The ending of LEVEL 2 is just lovely, and I'm glad the characters have some happiness, but I must know what comes next.  Appelhans' version of the afterlife is well realized, from the original purpose of Level 2 to how the Morati perverted it, and I am eager to see what she'll create for Level 3.

ETA: The title LEVEL 2 will be changed to THE MEMORY OF AFTER for the paperback release on September 3, 2013. LEVEL 3 will be released as CHASING BEFORE. Lenore explains the reasoning behind this change here.